Shaft-coupling



SHAFT COUPUNG, APPLlCATlON FIL'ED NOV.

UNITED! STATE-SE PATENT; r

JoHNVER-Nnsr SPARLING, or Bosromlnnssacnnsnrms.; I

SHAFT-Gourmand.

ToV all whom/25 may concern i I Be it known that I, JoHN E. SPAnLINe, a

' subject of the Dominion ot Canada, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffollr'and.` State of Massachusetts, have inventednew and useful Improvements inl Shaft-.Couplings, of which theA following` isaspecilication,

This invention has for its object to provide improved means of simple construction, for coupling together the ends of two shaft sections, and maintaining-the same in alinement with each other, the coupling having a minimum number of' parts and being operable by a vise removably applied to two of said parts to firmly connect the Vshaft sec` tions. Y

Of the accompanying drawingsforming a part ofy this' specification,- 1

Figure 1- 's a longitudinalksection of a shaft 'coupling embodying theV invention. Figs. 2and 3 are side viewslof the tw collars shown by Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sleeve, shown by Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a viewv similar toFig. 1, showing a vise engaged with' the flange of the collars.V V Y Y Fig. 6 is a view similar toA Fig. 4;, showing a dilferent arrangement of sleeve slots.

The same reference characters in'dicatevthe same parts'in all of the figures. .n

In the drawings, 12 representsa compressible clamping sleeve, -sl'otted longitudinally as'indi'catcd at 13,;and adapted to receive the adjacent ends of two alined shaft members 14. The diameterof the sleeve'is greati est at a point midway between its ends, and

decreases from saidpoint t0 the ends, so that the sleeve has two opposite-ly tapered peripheral portions. 15, 15 represent two duplicate collars having tapered bores con-` 'forming to the tapered portions of the sleeve.

' The three parts above described Vconstitute Each collar 15 is provided at its-inner end with an outwardlyprojectin'g flange 17 When the three parts of the coupling arek assembled, the inner sides4 of the collar flanges are separated byv an Vunobstructed space between the collars and their outer sides face in opposite directions, and are also unobstructed, so that they form bearings or abutments, on which the jaws of 'a portable vise maybe removably seated to move the bolt 21 passing-loosely throughthe jaw 18v and having-a head`22 bearing on theouter side of said jaw. rlhe threaded portionof the bolt passes loosely through the jaw'. '19, and is provided withv a clamping nut 23' bearing on the outer side of said jaw. On the bolt 421 isganinternally threaded stop collar 24:, adjustabl'y enga-ged with the bolt thread.. Y

The. vise maybe first applied tothe flanges 17 infthepostion shown by full lines. The nut 23 is then turnedto force the jaws toward eachr other, the stop*Y collar v24. having been previously adjustedl inward or 'toward specification of Letters'rateat." Patented 3', L vApplication led- November 28, 1.91% Serial VIVe-341,061. i 'i the head 22.l "WhenY theV vise jaws' have been ,Y '5- thus moved toward each other-,as faras pos- Y sible, -the collar24is adjusted outward until it bears yon the jaw 19. The clampingnut 23 isthen loosened', and thevise-is appliedv to the flanges infthe position indicated by dotted lines.V The clamping nut isthen turned inward until the jaw 19 comes to a bearing on the collar V24, -said collar being in position to arrest the closingfmovement oft-he jaws when they are at the same distance apart, as at theendvof the lirst described operation of the vise. for -renderinglthe *collars` exactly lcoaxial Provision is thus vmadeY with the'slee-ve and insuring uniform Viricf tional contact between all portions of theinternal surfaces ,ofthe collars, and all portionsotl the periphery of the sleeve embraced bythecollars; V`

By applying avise having lever jaws to thel'outer sides of thel flanges 17,1v amenabled to eXert such vtorce on the collars 'that v the fricti'onal engagement setup between them',V and the sleeve is inseparablefby accident, and'is separable only by resorting 1to severe methods,such as lthe'driving, with `great torce y, of: a :wedge between the inner faces ofthe collars.`

Any other suitable form kof vise maybe icc ' its employed, the unobstructed outer sides ot the collar anges 17 being adapted to engage vise jaws variously constructed and op-I erated. The vise may be organized to Vforce the collars to their operative positions by 'one operation instead oftwo. :The vise is,-

. strueted inner and outer sides, I am enabled.V

.y not only to utilize a vise Vas the means ,for making the coupling operative, but also to reduce the number ofycoupling parts to Vthe minimum, by eliminating the connecting Y bolts andother devices heretofore employed aspermanent parts of the coupling to connect the collars and force them toward each other. l i Owing to `the absence of connections between the collar flanges, thevsleeve 12 constitutes the only torque-transmitting` connection kbetween the two shaft members. The midlength portion of the sleeve between the collars may be provided with a periph'-` eral rib or enlargement 26, to aid in sus# taining torsional strain. `The sleeve may have a plurality of slots 13 arranged as shown by Fig. 6. v It willbe seen th. t the coupling sleeve 12 has a zone of maximum thickness midway between its ends, and tapered'portions ex-v tending from said zone to its ends. fIt will. also be seen that the collars 15,having tapered bores conforming` to the said-externally tapered portions, are elongated to extend from said zone substantially yto the endsof said tapered portions, so that when the collars are moved simultaneously in opposite v.directions toward said zone, they directly exert uniform radial compressive pressurel on said tapered portions, from the outer Vends of the latter to sai'd zone,and

thereby maintain the entire boreof the coupling sleeve 12 rparallel with theV peripheries of the shaft sections 14. kIt will also be seen that the' flanges 17 are adapted, by their location at the inner ends of the collars, not only to be engaged by the jaws 18 and19 of a compact andconveniently applied vise,rto impart compressive movements to t the colf lars, but also to receive between their V.inner sides a compact or relatively .narrow wedge adapted to displace the collars and permit the expansion of the sleeve. I am aware that it `has heretofore been proposed to provide a shaft coupling composedV of a split sleeve having oppositely tapered lperipheral portions, and two relative y narrow rings formed to be driven on to the endfportions only :of the sleeve, to compress the. latter upon shaft sectionsy inserted therein, vthe latter. l

The collarsY 15, elongated as described, and adapted to exert uniform compressive pressure on substantially all parts of the sleeve 12, enable the wall of thersleeve and the walls of the collars to be made much thinner, and to containV less metal, than `only on oppositeend portions ofthe sleeve,v

so that unless the wall of the sleeve is made relatively thick and `free from liability-to lbe flexed `by such pressure, the shaft sections will begripped only by the end portions of the sleeve. Moreover, saidrings are necessarily spaced apart much farther than are the flanges 17 so that a vise adapted to engage the rings and exertk compressive pressure therethroughon the ,sleeve andy a wedge driven betweenv the flanges'to displace the rings, would necessarily be relativelybulky and unwieldly. ,s -f l The peripheral lstrengthening rib 26,v4 is formed on the above-mentioned Zoneffot' maximum'thickness. f Y

Iclaim: v a l f 1. A kcoupling Vfor shaft members; ycomprising `a compressible slottedv couplingA sleeve, having a zone of maximum thickness midway between its ends, and externally taperedportions extending from said zone to its ends, and two duplicate independentv sleeve-contracting. collars, having tapered bores conforming to the said -externallytapered portions, and elongated to extend from said zone substantially ito the ends of said tapered portions, whereby, when said collars are moved simultaneously inopposite directions toward said zone, they exert direct uniform radial kcompressive pressureA to impart sleeve-compressing,movements to the collars, and separated by a relatively narrowy space formed to receive a wedge adapted tovdisplacethe collars and permit theexpansion of the sleeve.

2. A coupling substantiallylas specified by' Y claim 1, the said zone being provided with a peripheral strengthening rib.

In testimonywhereof I have aiiixed my signature. Y vy VJOHN"Einans'lr sPARLING. 

